Chapter Text
“Okay, okay. Stop. We don’t need 3 balls.” JJ called out as Emily and Henry tried to fit more than one blown up floaty and several balls into the back of the car.
“But mom!” Henry complained, as Michael ran past her on his socks.
“Mikey!” The little boy pressed his bath toys into Emily’s hands. The brunette laughed, picking him up swiftly. She winked at Henry, pressing the toys in his hands. The boy giggled and threw them in the back of the car. JJ rolled her eyes as Emily carried the boy past her to get his jacket and shoes. “Okay. I’d say we have enough toys. Do we have swimming pants and towels?” JJ asked, throwing Henry his jacket.
“All taken care of, babe.” Emily said with a wink as she let Mikey climb onto her back.
“Pool time!” Henry announced, running out to the waiting car. Emily laughed, carrying the little boy on her back as JJ send up a tiny prayer into the universe that this wasn’t going to end in a total disaster. Taking her maybe kinda girlfriend on a date with the boys. Emily thought it would be a good idea to include all of the blondes. The level of excitement had been off the charts.
Emily drove them to the indoor pool with yelping and bouncing boys on the backseat. JJ was a little amused that Emily seemed to match the boys in their level of excitement. The ‘Tropical Paradise’ as it self-advertised was filled with screaming and running children who were as hyped as her own kids. To her delight Emily kept at least one boy with her at all times either by a hand on their shoulder or by grabbing a little hand tightly in her own. The tiny red bikini on Emily pleasantly surprised the blonde. She would have bet anything that the brunette would wear a one piece. Either because she was self conscious about her scar or because of the boys, but as her eyes traveled over the other woman’s body she was happy with her choice.
“What?” Emily asked as she felt JJ’s eyes on her body. She was grabbing onto Henry’s hand while a floaty was stuffed underneath her arm.
“I’m just admiring the view.” The blonde said with a grin. Her bikini was a little bit sportier, but she made sure to show of her curves. They found a spot a little bit further away from the pool. JJ took a few extra minutes to wrangle Michael into his arms floats, before they took the boys for a swim. They took their time splashing around, letting Mikey swim between them and swimming after a surprisingly fast Henry. They took it to the shallow end after JJ noticed the boys getting a bit tired. Mikey took to playing with his bath toys as Henry drifted near on the floaty.
“They are really good boys. I really love spending time with them.” Emily said with a smile, looking at the boys from where they were sitting in the shallow end, just next to Michael. JJ smiled, leaning her head on Emily’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you do. We’re kind of a package deal.” She said, reaching to take Emily’s hand in hers. The brunette gently played with her fingers.
“You think we can make this work?” Emily asked in a hushed tone, not wanted to alert the little boy not to far from them. JJ pulled back to look at her face.
“I hope so.” She said, reaching out to brush back Emily’s wet hair. “I want to try.” Emily smiled a radiant smile.
“I do too.” She nodded, leaning in slightly, but pulling back as she saw Henry looking at them. JJ gave him a reassuring wink. He paused for a moment before paddling closer to them. His face was a bit scrunched up. He let go of his floaty, as he inserted himself between Emily and his mom. The brunette pulled the thing onto dry land and watched him glance at her. JJ sat back a bit to make room for her son, watching his behavior with care. He leaned back into his mom possessively. JJ knew behavior; it was literally her job. This was her son displaying this was his mom, not Emily’s girlfriend. The brunette cocked her head, obviously reading the boy as well as his mom did.
“Will I have to call you mom?” He asked with furrowed brows and pursed lips. Emily’s eyebrows flew up. Her eyes sought out JJ’s. The blonde gave her a soft smile as she pulled the boy back into her body. She looked up at Emily again and nodded for her to answer the question.
“No.” The brunette answered immediately. “You can just call me Emily.” His facial muscles relaxed a bit. He looked back at his mom for a moment.
“Are you going to live with us?” He asked, voice still a bit harsh. Emily opened her mouth, letting it hang there for a moment as she formed an answer.
“Maybe some day. Not right now.” She decided on. JJ checked on the tiny boy for a moment before cutting in.
“I like Emily a lot.” She said in a gentle voice. “And she likes us a lot. All of us.” She gave him a kiss in his hair. “She gives me tingles to my tummy. And when she’s around, doesn’t it feel like sunshine? Like really nice and warm?” JJ said next to his ear, leaning into his little body. He looked at her, giving her a little grin.
“That’s just because you’re in love with her.” He said with a little giggle. Emily watched the exchange with wonder.
“Yeah. That’s true. But she likes all of us. And we like her, right?” JJ asked, pushing his boundaries a bit. He took a skeptical look at Emily again. To Emily it felt like an eternity, but then he nodded with a little smile. “Come on. Stop giving her a hard time.” JJ whispered in his ear. He giggled as she kissed behind his ear. “You like Emily and she’s been part of our family for like forever.” He nodded, accepting the hug from his mom. Henry looked at Emily’s uncertain face for another second before he leaned in for a hug.
“Okay.” He said, like the judgment was passed now. Emily enveloped him into her arms hesitantly, but he clutched her without a hint of is earlier skepticism.
“Okay?” She asked, leaning her head on his little shoulder.
“Yeah. You can love us.” He said, pulling away from her to go sit with his little brother. Emily seemed a bit shocked, as he moved away. JJ bit her lip not to laugh.
“Sorry about that.” She said, moving to sit right next to Emily again. “I didn’t know he would do that.” She nudged the brunette lightly to shake her out of her shock. “Are you okay?” Emily nodded halfheartedly.
“Is having kids always this scary?” She asked, leaning into JJ’s body for comfort. The blonde laughed, enveloping her into a hug.
“Yeah, pretty much.” She laughed, kissing Emily’s hair. “He’s just jealous. You know he likes you a lot.” The brunette nodded uncertainly, clutching onto JJ’s waist. “I know you’re nervous, but you really don’t need to be.” Emily gave her a brave little smile. “You got this. They are both little me’s. It’s in our genes to adore you.” JJ said with a teasing smile.
“I love you, weirdo.” Emily said all of a sudden with an unbothered giggle. JJ tried not to let the surprise show on her face.
“I love you too.” She whispered, now actually catching Emily’s lips with her own.
Henry had tested Emily on various occasions. JJ hadn’t expected him to put up such a fight. He hadn’t done it with his father’s new girlfriend Anna, but apparently he saw the necessity in it with Emily. JJ had talked to him sternly, but Emily said it was fine. If this was what he was feeling, then it was okay to let it out. The boy was happy that Emily had withstood each and every one of his tests. After that, he became pretty much like his brother. Emily’s loyalty was tested and he was convinced she was in this for the long haul. Although JJ thought her son was being unnecessarily cruel, it did excite her to see how Emily was taking it all in her stride. After a while it was just effortless devotion to each other.
The team knew they were dating, but they tried to keep it absolutely professional at work. Although the girls had seen some serious PDA at drunken girl’s nights. It wasn’t until Emily showed up with the kids for the first time that they got it was actually serious. Rossi had smiled to himself as Henry had hugged Spencer, while Michael was clutching Emily’s hand, talking excitedly about his day at school. Henry had followed the pair after one stern look from the brunette. The boys played and did their homework in Emily’s office without a complaint as she worked quietly at her desk.
JJ saw them through the window of her girlfriend’s office as she got back from the police station after a consult. It wasn’t the first time Emily was on her own with the boys, but it was the first time it really hit her. Emily was really doing her absolute best and it was all in a very effortless and selfless way. She leaned against the doorframe as she watched Emily on the floor next to the little coffee table where Henry was doing his homework. Their backs were angled towards the door as Emily quietly explained the math he was supposed to do, while Michael was driving a toy car up and down her arm.
“You’re smart, mom Em.” Michael muttered, pushing to sit on her lap. JJ clamped her hand over her mouth to not break the moment with her gasp.
“You don’t have to call me mom, baby.” Emily said, excepting his weight onto her lap.
“Want to.” He said, his voice muffled by him hiding his face against her chest. The brunette kissed his hair, as she held him to her. Her attention shifted to the math again.
“I think Mikey is right. We have mom, mom An and mom Em. It’s kind of nice to have so many people that like us.” He said, looking every bit the preteen he was going to be rather sooner than later. JJ couldn’t see Emily’s face, but she saw how focused they were on each other.
“We’re lucky to have you boys.” She settled on, turning towards the homework again, to cut the moment avoiding any uncomfortable emotional confrontation.
“Mommy!” Michael cheered, spotting JJ over Emily’s shoulder suddenly. He wrestled himself free from the brunette’s arms to run towards his mom. He collided with her legs, sending her into a stumble backwards with a giggle.
“Hey baby.” She greeted him with a little awkward hug. “Can I join you guys in here?” She asked, kissing Henry’s head, while Michael settled onto Emily’s lap again.
“Always. How was your consult?” Emily asked, reaching up to squeeze JJ’s hand. The blonde smiled, bending down for a kiss. The brunette hesitated, her eye shifting towards the door.
“It’s okay.” JJ whispered, giving her a little peck on her lips. “If my kids call you mom, I’m pretty sure we’re kind of serious.” Emily shied away instantly, hiding her face into the little blonde boy’s hair. JJ smiled lovingly, gently petting the soft dark hair peaking out behind her son. He giggled as he wrapped his little arms around Emily’s head, messing her hair up in the process. The older woman let out a yelp, wrestling herself free. The little boy turned around again, with a smile on his face as he crawled over to his stack of toy cars. JJ reached out her hand pulling Emily to her feet to sit on the couch. They quietly sat there as Emily fidgeted slightly. “It’s okay.” JJ whispered again, leaning her chin onto the brunette’s shoulder. “I’ll brew you a tea in that ugly cat mug of yours when we get home.” She promised, pulling Emily’s body against her own. The brunette’s face displayed a little frown. “And I’ll hold you during the night.” The blonde continued to promise, as she felt the other woman relax slightly against her. “And we’ll have bad pizza and mismatched wine. You’ll be free and I’ll be here to catch you.” Realization dawned on Emily’s face as she smiled. JJ was promising her everything she needed.
“And I’ll always be here. For you and our boys.” She promised in return, letting JJ hold her. The blonde closed her eyes for a moment, letting the feeling of this wash over her. Just a little while ago she hadn’t expected any of this to happen. There was a feeling of peace that seemed to be with her now and it had been for a while. She felt it when she rolled over in the bed sleepily and strong arms wrapped around her waist. She felt it as Emily ushered the boys into the car, so they wouldn’t be late for school. She felt it at family dinners with Will and her sons. It warmed her when she saw the devotion swirl in chocolate brown eyes as a blonde boy leaned in for a hug or a kiss. It sometimes even surprised her when she watched Emily’s concentrated face in the field. She was where she had always wanted to be: happy, cared for and surrounded by love. For a moment she wished she could go back in time and show her 11-year-old self what would happen if she only held on long enough. A kiss on her temple shook her out of her musings.
“You wanna head home and watch me try not to burn dinner?” Emily asked as she studied JJ’s face carefully.
“We can do it together.” She promised with a soft smile. Emily nodded, seemingly happy with the preposition, although it was quite clear JJ wasn’t just talking about dinner.
“Yeah, together might be our best bet.” The brunette admitted and JJ couldn’t agree more.
The End.